Court dismisses lawsuit from bars over brief virus shutdown

By DAVID PITT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against Gov. Kim Reynolds by a group of six Des Moines area bars that challenged her brief shutdown of their businesses in August and September 2020 when COVID-19 was rapidly spreading. The bars initially sought damages but later dropped those claims and were asking the court to allow their case to go to trial so they could pursue a case to limit the governor’s powers to close targeted groups of businesses during a proclaimed emergency. Their case was dismissed by a state court judge who concluded the case was moot because the bars were closed only for a short period and then reopened by the governor. The Iowa Supreme Court agreed Friday and affirmed the dismissal.